Hundreds of Russians have been accused of speaking out against the war in Ukraine since a law was passed last month banning the spread of “false information” about the invasion and devaluation of the military.
Human rights groups say the crackdown has led to criminal charges and possible jail terms for at least 23 people on “false information” charges, with more than 500 others facing misdemeanor charges of defamation of the military that have either resulted in high fines or are expected to have as a result.
“This is a huge amount, an unprecedented number of cases,” said Damir Gainuddinov, head of the Net Freedoms legal aid group, which focuses on free speech cases, in an interview with the Associated Press.
The Kremlin has tried to control the narrative of the war since its troops entered Ukraine.  He called the attack a “special military operation” and increased pressure on independent Russian media outlets calling it a “war” or “invasion”, blocking access to many news sites whose coverage deviated from the official line.
The sweeping arrests have stifled anti-war protests, turning them from a daily event in major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg into rare incidents that draw little attention.
However, reports of police arresting individual protesters in various Russian cities come almost daily.
Even seemingly benign actions led to arrests.
A man has been arrested in Moscow for standing next to a World War II monument that reads “Kyiv” about the city’s heroic stand against Nazi Germany and holding a copy of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”.  Another was reportedly arrested for holding a pack of sliced ​​ham from meat producer Miratorg, with the second half of his name deleted and written “Mir” – “peace” in Russian.
A law against the spread of “fake news” about war or the devaluation of the army was passed by parliament overnight and went into effect immediately, exposing virtually anyone who criticizes the conflict to fines and prison sentences.
The first publicly known “fake” criminal cases targeted public figures such as Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian-speaking cookbook writer and popular blogger living abroad, and Alexander Nevzorov, a television journalist, director and former lawmaker.
Both were accused of posting “false information” about Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine on their widely circulated social media pages – something Moscow categorically denied, insisting that Russian forces had hit only military targets.
But then the scope of the crackdown expanded, with police ostensibly grabbing anyone.
Former police officer Sergei Klokov was arrested and detained after talking to his friends over the phone about the war.  His wife told the Meduza news website that in an occasional home conversation, Klokov, who was born in Irpin near Kyiv and whose father was still living in Ukraine when Russian troops entered, condemned the invasion.
Klokov has been charged with spreading false information about the Russian armed forces and faces up to 10 years in prison.
St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skolichenko also faces up to 10 years in prison with the same charge: Swap prices at a grocery store with anti-war leaflets.  On Wednesday, a court sentenced Skolichenko to pre-trial detention for 1 1/2 months.
Priest Ioann Burdin, a Russian Orthodox priest in a village about 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow, was fined 35,000 rubles ($ 432) for “discrediting the Russian armed forces” after publishing an anti-war statement in the comrades during a service for the pain he felt for the people who died in Ukraine.
Burdin told the AP his speech provoked mixed reactions.  “A woman made a scene about me saying it when she just came to pray,” he said, adding that he believed he was one of those who heard the sermon reported to police.
Marat Grachev, manager of a store that repairs Apple products in Moscow, encountered similar problems when he displayed a link to an online application entitled “No to War” on a store screen.  Many customers voiced their support when they saw it, but an elderly man asked to have it removed, threatening to report Grazhev to the authorities.
Police appeared soon after and Grachev was accused of discrediting the army.  A court ordered him to pay a fine of 100,000 rubles ($ 1,236).
Another court ruled in favor of Moscow student Dmitry Reznikov for pointing to a white piece of paper with eight asterisks, which could be interpreted as “No to War” in Russian – a popular song by protesters.  The court found him guilty of defamation of the armed forces and fined him 50,000 rubles ($ 618) for holding a sign in central Moscow at a rally in mid-March that lasted just seconds before police arrested him.
“It’s the theater of the absurd,” Oleg Filachev’s lawyer told the AP.
A St. Petersburg court last week fined Artur Dmitriev for a plaque containing a quote from President Vladimir Putin – albeit briefly omitted – from last year’s Victory Day parade marking the Second World War.
“The war has brought so many unbearable challenges, sorrows and tears that it is impossible to forget.  “There is no forgiveness or excuse for those who once again have aggressive plans,” Putin was quoted as saying on the Kremlin website.
Dmitriev was fined 30,000 rubles for defaming the Russian army.  This prompted him to post on Facebook on Friday: “Vladimir Putin’s phrase and, consequently, himself μούν discredit the aims of the Russian armed forces.  “From now on (Internet and media regulator) Roskomnadzor must block all speeches by Putin and the true patriots – remove his portraits in their offices.”
Net Freedoms’ Gainutdinov said anything about the military or Ukraine could make a man a target.  Even wearing a hat with the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag or a green ribbon, which is considered a symbol of peace, has been found to discredit the army, the lawyer added.
Reznikov, who is appealing his conviction for the asterisk poster, said he found the crackdown frightening.  Following his first conviction for a misdemeanor, a second strike would lead to criminal prosecution and a possible prison sentence of up to three years.
Both Bourdain and Grachev, who are also appealing, received donations in excess of their fines.
“I realized how important it is, how valuable it is to receive support,” Grachev said.
Berdin said the publicity for his case spread the message far beyond the twelve people who initially heard his sermon – the opposite of what the authorities apparently intended to fine him.
“It is impossible to call it different from the providence of God,” the priest added.  “The words I said reached a much larger number of people.”
___


Getting in touch 
Do you have questions about the attack in Ukraine?  Email [email protected]


	Include your name, location, and contact information if you would like to speak to a CTV News reporter.  		Your comments can be used in a CTVNews.ca story.